GREENFIELD — The former treasurer of a local elementary school’s parent-teacher organization will spend two years on probation after she admitted to pocketing thousands of dollars in funds earmarked for school activities.
Marcy Smitley, 39, was charged with 14 counts of forgery and one count of theft earlier this year after school officials discovered $6,700 missing from the Fortville Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization funds. The McCordsville resident pleaded guilty to each count she faced and was sentenced Wednesday in Hancock County Superior Court 1.
Smitley is required to pay back the money she stole from the school, a condition that weighed heavily on his decision to recommend probation rather than jail time, Prosecutor Brent Eaton said. Smitley serving time on probation rather than in jail will give her the opportunity to work to pay back the money she stole, he said.
In May, the school discovered at least 14 checks were cashed or deposited into Smitley’s personal account without approval, police said. The checks amounted to about $6,700, but school officials were able to audit records dating back to only July 2014; Smitley served as the PTO treasurer for three years, school officials said.
PTO funds traditionally are used to sponsor school events and fund teachers’ classroom initiatives, school officials said. With those thousands of dollars missing, some programs scheduled for the end of the 2014-15 school year were canceled, they said.
The local investigation began after Smitley was arrested on similar theft and forgery charges in Marion County in February. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers charged her with stealing about $128,000 from the homeowners association she was hired to supervise, court records state.
Smitley is the owner of MCS Management Group Inc., and she was hired to oversee daily operations at the Winslow Crossing apartment and condo complex on the southeast side of Indianapolis.
Smitely was charged with 20 counts of forgery in Marion County; she pleaded guilty to each charge as a Level C felony, and last month she was sentenced to serve four years on probation.
When Fortville Elementary School officials questioned Smitley about the allegations in Indianapolis, she initially denied being the Marcy Smitley who was charged, officials said. The school launched an internal investigation and asked Smitley to step down from her post with the PTO.
The Fortville Police Department was contacted after the school discovered funds were missing, investigators said.
Hancock County prosecutors worked for months to finalize the plea agreement Smitley accepted at the end of October. Court records show Smitley asked the court on several occasions to extend the proceeding to give her more time to comply with terms requiring her to repay the money she took from the school.
Smitley pleaded guilty to 13 counts of forgery as a Level 6 felony, one court of forgery as a C felony and one count of theft as a Class D felony, court records state. She received a two-year sentence for each count, but the time will be served concurrently.